[GOAL] Open access as a matter of academic ethics: The right thing to do

[Omega Alpha Open Access]

Greetings. I have just updated my blog <http://oaopenaccess.wordpress.com/> for your interest.
 
Open access as a matter of academic ethics: The right thing to do
<http://oaopenaccess.wordpress.com/2012/05/03/open-access-as-a-matter-of-academic-ethics-the-right-thing-to-do/>

In order to succeed, open access needs to demonstrate real and practical benefits to the scholarly community and beyond. In order to instill confidence as a publishing model, open access needs to be both economically accessible and economically sustainable.
 
However, it’s not just what open access needs to be or do to justify its serious consideration. As has been discussed on this blog before (especially here), open access brings with it a capacity to raise awareness of a values dynamic in the creation, dissemination, and use of the products of scholarly research. If for no other reason than the fact that open access presents scholars a choice (as an alternative to traditional publishing avenues), it ought to at least provoke thoughtfulness about what we need to be or do when it comes to publishing research. The decision is no longer just where will we publish (to best enhance our academic careers and reputations) but how will we publish (to best contribute to the growth of knowledge to the widest possible audience with the fewest possible barriers). In other words, open access introduces an added dynamic to academic ethics.
 
John Willinsky and Juan Pablo Alperin, in a recent article entitled “The academic ethics of open access to research and scholarship” (in Ethics and Education 6(3), October 2011, pp. 217-223), …
 
Your comments are welcome and appreciated.

Gary F. Daught
Omega Alpha | Open Access
http://oaopenaccess.wordpress.com
oa.openaccess @ gmail.com
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